MA in Decorative Arts & Design History

The Master of Arts in Decorative Arts & Design History degree program is offered through a partnership between the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design and the Smithsonian Associates. This unique graduate program covers a range of historical, cultural, and material topics. Through object-based study, students develop expertise in the history of objects, material culture, interiors, and architecture through cultural and stylistic influences, techniques and technology, and makers and materials.

Courses are taught at the Smithsonian Institution by GW professors, leading curators, scholars, and museum professionals in Washington, D.C. In addition to classes, students also participate in internships with arts institutions, organizations, and museum professionals. The internship experience complements the formal curriculum, enabling students to hone their research and writing skills in both professional and academic settings.

For some students, the Master of Arts in Decorative Arts & Design History is a terminal degree leading to professional careers as curators and scholars in galleries and museums. For others, the degree is completed in preparation for doctoral study.

This 42-credit program is designed to expose students to the history of object culture, collections, craft, and design through a global and local lens from the Renaissance period through today. Students take two core course requirements, Proseminar and Survey of Decorative Arts and Design I (1400-1800), during the fall semester supplemented by elective courses. In the spring semester, students take their third core course requirement, Survey of Decorative Arts and Design I (1800-Present). Students are required to complete one internship for credit after completing 12 credit hours students. These internships provide unparalleled professional experience and mentorship from leading curators and scholars in Washington, DC and beyond. Other course requirements include one course in each of the following categories: Non-Western Influences, Museum Studies, Material Culture Theory, and Medium-Based Study in furniture, ceramics, glass, metalwork, silver, textile, costume, etc. Upon successful completion of 32 credit hours, students select between completing their degree by writing a Master’s Thesis or passing Master’s Qualifying Examinations.

Our highly-specialized and accomplished faculty make up the core success of this master’s program. Our faculty comprises practitioners in the field--curators, appraisers, and other museum professionals—as well as professors who dedicate their scholarship to emerging theories and methods in the field. Connoisseurship and academic training structure this program and our faculty have led our students and alumni through rigorous and highly-rewarding courses and experiences that result in exciting careers.

With the Decorative Arts & Design History department located at the Smithsonian, students gain privileged access to Smithsonian museums and collections, as well as lectures and events in and around Washington, DC.

Our students and alumni procure prestigious positions in Washington, DC as well as around the country and internationally as leading professionals in the decorative arts and design history. Here is a sampling of the museums, institutions, and universities where our students and alumni have held positions: